In just their fourth year of NCAA Division II eligibility, the Patriots are dancing into March Madness for the third consecutive season.
The UT Tyler Patriots will face a familiar foe in the first round of the NCAA South Central Regional Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday in Denton.
The Patriots, the No. 3 seed with a 25-4 record, will take on No. 6 seed West Texas A&M (18-12) at noon in Kitty Magee Arena on the campus of Texas Woman’s University. The arena is inside Pioneer Hall.
All ticket sales will be online, and will be $10 each. One ticket will get you access to the entire day’s worth of contests. Texas Woman’s also has a clear bag policy. Fans can park in the lot South East of Pioneer Hall or in the lot North of Pioneer Hall. Please be advised construction is going on campus.
The South Central Regional quarterfinal round will be on March 14, with the two semifinal games taking place on March 15. The regional championship will be on March 17.
UT Tyler is one of five Lone Star Conference programs in this year’s regional tournament, joined by No. 1 Texas Woman’s, No. 2 Lubbock Christian, No. 5 Eastern New Mexico, and No. 6 West Texas A&M. Rocky Mountain Conference members selected include No. 4 Colorado Mesa, No. 7 Colorado-Colorado Springs, and No. 8 Adams State.
Other first round games scheduled for Friday include: No. 2 Lubbock Christian (29-4) vs. No. 7 UC-Colorado Springs (19-11), 2:30 p.m.; No. 1 TWU (31-1) vs. No. 8 Adams State (19-11), 5 p.m.; and No. 4 Colorado Mesa (25-5) vs. No. 5 Eastern New Mexico (20-9), 7:30 p.m.
The winner of UT Tyler vs. West Texas A&M will play in the semifinals against the winner of Lubbock Christian and UC-Colorado Springs at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The regional championship is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday.
The Patriots hold a 4-3 series lead over West Texas A&M, including a UT Tyler 76-57 victory on Jan. 25 at the Herrington Patriot Center.
The winner of Monday’s regional championship advances to the Elite Eight, which will be held at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, March 24, 26 and 28. Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion, and SportsPITTSBURGH will serve as hosts.
All-Region
For the first time in three years, the Patriots women’s basketball program will be represented on an All-Region team. Meagan Mendazona put together a brilliant effort on the floor for the Patriots this year, and she was named D2CCA All-South Central Region Second Team for her efforts. She is the first all-region player since assistant coach Liah Davis was named to the D2CCA All-South Central Region Second Team in the 2021-2022 season.
Mendazona has started 28 games for the Patriots up to this point while averaging a team high 13.5 points on 47.2% shooting. She is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game while totaling 56 assists and 37 steals. This year she also earned her first All-LSC First Team nod of her career in addition to being named to the LSC All-Academic Team.
NCAA Tournament History
The Patriots will be making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Back in the 2022-2023 season, the Patriots made the run all the way to the Elite Eight while taking down the No. 5, No. 1, and No. 7 teams in the regional tournament before falling to the No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight. In 2023-2024, the Patriots took down the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds before falling to the No. 1 seed in the region in the Sweet 16.
The Patriots are the only team in the South Central Region to appear in the Round of 32 or the Sweet 16 in each of the last two seasons.
Patriots Notes and Trends
UT Tyler finished the 2023-24 season 27-9 overall and made their second consecutive NCAA Sweet 16. That win mark is tied for the most in the NCAA Division II era of the program. The Patriots are the only team in the South Central Region to win a game in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
Head Coach Rebecca Alvidrez is now 107-49 all-time in her four season career, and she is 98-30 in her time at UT Tyler.
Coach Alvidrez won her 100th career game on Jan. 30, 2025 as the Patriots took down Cameron. It took just 148 games for Alvidrez to reach the milestone, and she is in just her fifth season as a head coach.
Lady Buffs Notes
West Texas A&M heads into the NCAA Tournament at 18-12 overall after finishing the regular season with a 12-10 LSC record. The Lady Buffs are currently on a two game losing streak after falling to Lubbock Christian in the LSC Tournament and Eastern New Mexico in the regular season finale.
The Lady Buffs are averaging 66.4 points per game while allowing 63.9 points per game to their opponents. They are shooting 39.6% from the field and 29.9% from deep. Their opponents are shooting 39% from the floor and 28.7% from deep.
Kyla Kane is the leading scorer at 13.2 points per game. She also averages 4.1 rebounds per game while dishing out 50 assists and picking up 23 steals. She also leads the team in blocks with 18.
Head coach Josh Prock is in his fourth season with the Lady Buffs and is 83-47. He holds a career record of 292-177 in his 16 seasons.
